Headline Roundup • December 13th, 2024
Crystal Mangum Admits She Lied in Rape Accusation of Duke Lacrosse Players in 2006
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Crystal Mangum accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in a case centered around race, class, and power, that captivated the public nearly two decades ago. Now, she's publicly admitting she lied.
The Details: In an interview with Kat DePasquale on the "Let's Talk with Kat" podcast, Mangum said, “I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t and that was wrong,” adding, “I made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people and not from God.” The interview was conducted from North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women last month and released on Monday. Mangum is in prison after being convicted of the second-degree murder of her ex-boyfriend in 2013.
The Case: Mangum claimed the rape happened when she and another exotic dancer were hired to perform at a party thrown by the lacrosse players on March 13, 2006. The players were arrested, but the case was dismissed in 2007 and the men reached a settlement with the school. There was no DNA evidence to support Mangum's accusations, and the district attorney working the case was disbarred for withholding evidence.
How the Media Covered It: The New York Post (Lean Right bias) called her a "former stripper, convicted felon" in its headline. The Associated Press (Left bias) highlighted that Crystal was black, and the players were white.
Featured Coverage of this Story
A woman who accused three former Duke University men’s lacrosse players of rape nearly two decades ago admitted she lied about the allegations and asked them for forgiveness.
Crystal Mangum, the former exotic dancer, confessed to lying about the encounter in 2006 during her appearance on the “Let’s Talk with Kat” podcast, hosted by Katerena DePasquale.
“I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t, and that was wrong,” Magnum said during the episode, released Wednesday. “And I betrayed the trust of a lot of...
The woman at the center of the Duke University lacrosse rape case has finally admitted she lied when she accused three young men of sexual assault in 2006.
Crystal Mangum, from Durham, North Carolina, came under the spotlight in 2006 when she accused the trio of gang raping her during a party where she was hired as a stripper.
The 46-year-old mother-of-three is currently in prison after being convicted of second-degree murder for stabbing her boyfriend with a kitchen knife in 2011.
It was from prison where she spoke to Let's Talk with Kat,...

AP Photo/Sara D. Davis, File
The woman who in 2006 falsely accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her – making national headlines that stirred tensions about race, class and the privilege of college athletes -- has admitted publicly for the first time that she made up the story.
Crystal Mangum, who is Black, said in an interview with the “Let’s Talk with Kat” podcast that she “made up a story that wasn’t true” about the white players who attended a party where she was hired to perform as a stripper “because I wanted...
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